The 2004 bet comes to $683, which could total $342,000 if McIlroy is able to come through with a victory Sunday, according to Kyle Porter of CBSSports.com. McIlroy is 25 years old, so this is his last chance to make good on the bet.

Fortunately for the proud father, McIlroy is in great shape to win The Open Championship. He shot out to a lead in Round 1 with a score of 66, which he was able to follow up with another 66 in Round 2. Although he slowed down a bit in Round 3, he finished with two eagles in his final three holes to build a six-stroke lead heading into the final round.

As Justin Ray of Golf Channel notes, this is not a lead that is often lost at majors:

Largest 54-hole lead lost in major championship history is 6 shots, done only once, Greg Norman at 1996 Masters.

I'm comfortable leading the tournament. This is the third night in a row that I'll sleep on the lead. It helps that I've been in this position before and I've been able to convert and I've been able to get the job done. I'm comfortable with how I'm hitting it. Really comfortable on the greens. I just need to go out there tomorrow and play one more solid round and hopefully that's enough.

As long as McIlroy avoids a massive collapse, he should be able to come through with his third career major championship.

Ron Sirak of Golf Digest believes McIlroy should win based on how he has played to this point:

One thing McIlroy has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt: He knows how to win when he has his A game. And it looks like he has his A game.

Of course, betting on him to win with a lead is much easier than predicting a 15-year-old player will someday win one of golf's most prestigious titles. On the other hand, we do know that McIlroy was quite impressive at a young age. Here's an eight-year-old McIlroy with UTV's Gerry Kelly: